beard



ASA M. BEARD, OF HILLSBOROUGH BRIDGE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELFAND SOLOMON MCNIEL, OF SAME PLACE.'

Letters Patent No. 60,847, dated January 1, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN HEAD BLOCKS I'OR SAW-MILLS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, A. M. BEARD, of Hillsborough Bridge, Hillsboroughcounty, and State of New Hampshire, have inventeda new and improved LogCarriage for Saw Mills; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable othersskilled in the art to .make and use l the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in'which-Q .Figure 1, sheet 1, is a front elevation of my improved logcarriage; and

Figure 2 is a top plan of the same.

Figure 3, sheet 2, is a cross-section, taken in the line a: ai', iig. 2.

Figuresl, 5, 6, and 7 are detail views of important parts.

Similar letters of reference in the di'erent figures indicatecorresponding parts.v

- This invention consists in certain new and useful improvements in logcarriages wherebylthe log' is secured and handled in an easy and rapidmanner; and also in an index of novel construction, which determineswithout calculation where the saw should enter the log in making thefirst cut, saving time and labor, as hereinafter explained. A

A A'aa a, gs. 1, 2, and 3, is the carriage, and B is the rest, slidinglaterally thereon; the rest, B, has two arms., b b, iig. 2, projectingfrom its rear side, and these arms carry a shaft, C, tig. 2, whichA hasa pinion, c, upon each end.A These pinions, c, engage each with amortise rack, a2, formed in the top of the angular bedpieces or slides aand by means of the said mortise racks a2 a2, pinions ,e c, and shaft C,the` rest, B, is carried back'and forthon the slides, a a. The shaft, C,is operated by'a ratchet-lever, D, which has a double pawl or ratchet,d, which engages `with a cog-wheel, E, the said cog-wheel E acting as a4ratchet-wheel for the leve'r and pawl Dd, and also as a cog-wheel, uponwhich a pinion, e, (tig. 1,) may act to run the rest B back when ,a lop,is cut up and when another-one is to -be received on the carriage. Thepinion e is operated by a hand crank, f, on the shaft F. By means ofthis crank and pinion f e the rest E is run back in less time'than itcan be done with the ratchet-lever D, although the said lever D hasfacilities for moving the rest Bbackward as well as forward, which isconvenient in setting the Ylog properly before the saw. The rest B- issecured in place by a hook-shaped pawl, g, the said pawl being pivotedto the rest at g. The double ratchet or pawl d is suspended on the leverD (iig. 6) by a pivot, It, in its centre; a spring-lever, I, is alsopivoted to the lever D by a-pivot, z'. The lower end of 'this lever Ienters a notch in the upper side of the double ratchet, and `its upperend-is bifurcated, and embraces'a cam-wheel, G, which is pivoted to thetop of the lever D, the said cam-wheel G having a handle, H, (fig. 1,)by which it may be turned; and as the cam G (iig. is thrown to eitherside, the lever Itilts the donbleratchet d, so that one of its ends isloweredinto connection or engagement, and the opposite end Yis raisedout of action; and by these means the pawl UZ is readily controlled, andmade to give either a. backward or forward 'movement of the rest, asdesired. Outside ofithe cam Gr is a second cam, j, (iig. 1,) whichisattached to g and moves therewith; and this cam or eccentric j raisesand` lowers or operates a connecting-rod, J,which takes hold of the pawlg by a hook on its lower end; and as the handle H and eccentric or cam Gare turned into position for running back the carriage, the eccentric jand rod .I elevate the hooked pawl g out of action, and the rest is freeto run back.. a: (tig. is a spring, which presses the eccentric or camGr against thc lever D, and holdstheeams in position by friction. Thethrow of the lever D is regulated so as to give any required distance ofmovement to the restB necessary for board sawing-'by a filled stop,- k,andan adjustable stop, K, (fig 2.) The adjustable stop K slides ona'graduated arm, N, and is secured in position by a sliding pawl, l,(iig. 5,) which engages withn the notches n (iig. 2) in one edge of thearm N, the pawl Zbeing held into the notches by a spring, L, (fig. 5,)and is operated by a knob,m. The arm N is graduated on its upper face,and marked with figures, so that it can be seen at a glance where to setthe adju-stable stop K to give the proper space between the stops forthe lever D to move in andgive theI desired throw for the requisitethickness of boards. The rest B is provided with three'stands O M O,(figs. 1 and 3,) the centre one, M, being fixed, -and the end stands, OO, beingmovable, so" that either of them may be pushed ont lfor'carrying the-small end of a tapering log into line with the saw.. Thesemovable stands O slidein guidesjo p, (figs. 1 and-2,) and are actuatedby ratchet-levers R R, (tig. 1,) ratchet-wheels r r, (iig. 2,) shafts QQ, and pinions a s, which are indicated by dott'ed lines S S in iig. 1,the said pinions s 8 engaging each with a toothed rack on the bottom ofthe horizontal part O of the stands 0. Thesestands 0 operateindependentlyrof each other, one ofthe ratehet-leversR movingone of themand the other vlever R the other. The ratchet-levers R for operatinglthe stands have the double ratchets,` and also the hooked pawl, and allof the devices for controlling them,the same as the rest-moving lever D,already explained. The levers R are hield in any position in which theyare placed by pawls 11', (tig. 3,) which engage with va rack, l2. Thestands O'are each-provided with-.a lroller, q, which is pivoted near itstop and so as to project slightly upward beyond the top of the stand, toprevent wide boards, when edging them on topoia log, fro'rncatching onthe top of the said stands asfthey are'removed. The end stands O O havedogs or spurs T T, (figs. 2 and 3,) which 'slide in guides attached tothe stands, and they are driven into the log to secure it in position.The bar or body portions of these dogs are notched, and a pawl, Z, (iig.3,) is pivotedto each stand in such a position that when the dogs aredriven the said pawls engage fwith the notches in the bar and preventthem from working out of the log The pawLZis elbow-shaped, and

it is suspended, to the stand Q by a pivot in itscentre, in such amanner that 'when,the pawl end is down, as shown, thenthe weight ofthe'pawl, as a whole, is principally on that'side of the pivot but when'the pawl is thrown up, it is held there by'the preponderance of weightbeing thrown behind the suspending pivot, the upper or rear arm of thepawl acting as acounterbalance, so that the pawl-end is held up afteronly a slight elevation or movement. A screw-dog, vU, (figs. 1, 2, and7,) is also provided for 1`oldiri'g the log snug in posh` tion. Thisdogis mounted in a frame, Y, which tits on `to the rest B, (fig. 7,) and'is thrown inta-the vlog by depressing the lever Y, 'which forces th'escrew-spur U in contact with the log, and then the screw is bedded inthe log by turning its crank-handle u. The elbow-lever V is pivoted atv, and its'short arm Vconnects with dog by occupying the 'groove w inthe said dog or spur U. When not in use the spur is held back by aspring, W, which holds up'the lever V.' The log-rest or slide af* (tig.42) has on one side and at Iits rear end a toothed rack, 1; this rack isiixcd.- The rest B carries in its rear a vertical shaft, 5, (iig. 3,)whichv has on its lower end a pinion, 2, (iig. 2,) which engages withthe rack 1. To the upper end of the vertical shaft .5 isxed a'disk, 4,'which has its periphery graduated and marked o with figures; landabove'this disk is a second one, 3,'whic`hI is loose on the shaft 5,andv is graduated like the iixed disk 4, only it has three graduations,ali-ranged one above the other, and each scale or graduation beingdivided oil', so that the spaces between the marks are of diierentlengths. l 6 and 7 (g. l) are index hands, or pointers, the lower one,7, pointing for the lower disk, and the upper one, 6, pointing for theloose npp'er disk. The upper pointer 6 is adjustable' on the standard8.. The sleeve of this pointer ttin g over'the standard has a nib, whichengages with one of a series of notches, 9, in one edge of the standard8; and this nib is held into the notch in which it is i placed by a'spring, 10. .This adjustable pointer 6 is adjusted on the' standard 8 soas to point to the particular graduation of the vseries von disk 3.whichis being used. As the rest B is being moved the fixed rack 1 (iig. 2)turns the shaft -5 (iig. 3) and the graduated disks 4 and 3. The fixeddisk 4 is-spaced oi, so as to show at all times the distance between therest B and the saw in inches. A When sawing a. log into boards, and whena plank or timber of a certain thickness is to be left next to therestB, then the adjustable index 3 is used, as follows A point in the `boardcolumn en the index 3 is turned directly above thevv figure on index 4,which represents in'inehes the thickness of the plank or timber to beleft, and then the saw is started into the log by the said board columnon the indexv 3; and this brings the saw out correctly at therequiredpoint for leaving the desired size of timber after the vfirstpart of the log has been cutup into boards. Therequired thickness of theboards in this latter case determines which of the three graduations onlindex 3 is to be used. If the lower graduation on 3 is .marked for inchand a quarterboards, and this is the thickness of boards required fromthevfirst partof the log, and if the piece of timber to be left is tobeiive inches in thickness, then any of the inch and a quarter marks inthe lower graduation of 3' is turned opposite to the figure 5 on thelower index, vand the saw is started on the outside of thelog by thelower graduation onv3, and the log is cut up into vthe"req`uired stuff;and by these means the log is brought tothe right point before the sawat once and without calculation, thus. making an important saving intime and labor. l l v Having thus described my invention, what.' I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-.-

l. I claim the rotating index 4, supported on and carried4 by the logrest B, and -operated "by a xed rack, l, and pinion 2, substantially asand for the purpose herein specified.

2. I claim, in connection with the graduated indicating disk or indexy4, pinion2, rack l, and log rest or head block B, an adjustablesecondary index or, graduated disk, 3, arranged andvoperatinglsubstantially as and for the purpose explained.

3. I claim a hand lever, D, yhaving a double pawl, d, which iscontrolledy by an eccentric, G, and sub-lever, I, pivoted thereto, andhaving a second eccentric or cam, y', and rod J, for lifting the headblock or-rest pawl, g, in connection with a spur-wheel, E, pinions'al c,racks a, and'rest B, as and for the purpose shown'an'd explained.

.4. I claim the balanced elbowls'haped pawls Z, in connection' with thestands O and sliding dogs T, as and for the purpose described.

5. I claim the rollers g, pivoted to the tops of the stands l), Aas and`for the purpose set forth.

6. I claim the stands D, in combination with the movable rest B, when'the said standsv are adjustable on the said rest B, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

` ASA M. BEARD.

Witnesses:

J. O. TEELE, WM. P. GREENLEAF.

